# Nominal Mix Concrete Ratios and Uses

> Nominal mix concrete uses fixed volume ratios such as 1:1.5:3 for M20 and suits minor works. See a site-office example and BOQ rate analysis in SuperWise.

Canonical: https://superwise.site/glossary/nominal-mix-concrete/
Last updated: 2026-11-01

Site-mixed concrete made to fixed volume ratios of cement, sand and aggregate, without laboratory design.

## What is Nominal Mix Concrete?

Nominal mix concrete is mixed on site in prescribed, fixed volumetric ratios, unlike [design mix concrete](https://superwise.site/glossary/design-mix-concrete/), which a laboratory engineers. [IS](https://superwise.site/glossary/indian-standard-codes/) 456 nominal mixes include M15 (1:2:4) and M20 (1:1.5:3). Because the ratio is measured by volume, in buckets or pans, rather than by weight, it is generally limited to minor, non-critical works or small residential jobs with little [quality control](https://superwise.site/glossary/quality-assurance-quality-control/).

## Practical example

For the non-load-bearing floor of a temporary site office, the contractor uses a small mechanical mixer. The supervisor tells the labourers to follow a nominal M15 mix, which is 1 bag of cement, 2 identical pans of sand and 4 pans of crushed aggregate, and to add water until the mix looks workable.

## In SuperWise

SuperWise builds a [BOQ](https://superwise.site/glossary/bill-of-quantities/) rate from component resources, each with a quantity per unit of work and a wastage percentage, so the cement, sand and aggregate of an M15 item can be entered per cu.m. The bill of materials multiplies each resource by the BOQ quantity, and material consumption is recorded against the BOQ item.

[Budget tracking](https://superwise.site/features/estimation-vs-earned-value/)

## Related terms

- [Design Mix Concrete](https://superwise.site/glossary/design-mix-concrete/)
- [Ready Mix Concrete (RMC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/ready-mix-concrete/)
- [Indian Standard (IS) Codes](https://superwise.site/glossary/indian-standard-codes/)
- [Concrete Slump Test](https://superwise.site/glossary/concrete-slump-test/)

## Related
- [Design Mix Concrete](https://superwise.site/glossary/design-mix-concrete/)
- [Ready Mix Concrete (RMC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/ready-mix-concrete/)
- [Indian Standard (IS) Codes](https://superwise.site/glossary/indian-standard-codes/)
- [Concrete Slump Test](https://superwise.site/glossary/concrete-slump-test/)
- [Budget tracking](https://superwise.site/features/estimation-vs-earned-value/)